Destiny Awaits A Kotor 2 Sith Lords Story
by Ozziegrl
Summary: The Exile returns to find the galaxy turned upside down. Instead of the Jedi being the respected Order that it had been before she had been sent into exile it was now in pieces, it's members scattered and nearly non-existent. The Sith were running rampage
1. Default Chapter

**Destiny Awaits **

**The Exile Returns **

**Part 1**

On board the Ebon Hawk all-organic forms are silent… the only living one is an exiledJedi Knight, Kirana Sunrider, who was in the medbay. Sparks flew from various locations as a droid, T3-M4 made his way slowly and carefully around the dying ship. He needed to repair the hyperdrive before they could limp in for repairs. As he made his way around the ship to repair it enough to limp into the nearest port – Peragus Asteroid Station – he came across the body of a robed woman lying on the floor of the main living area of the ship… he beeped and continued on… there was no time to pay respects to the dead, not when there was one that lived and he must get the ship in order to save her…

* * *

Through the fog of nothingness, Kirana heard a voice coming as if from afar… telling her to _Awaken_… Slowly she came around finding that she had been in a kolto tank for quite some time. Her head took a long time to clear before she unsteadily rose to her feet and looked around. She was in a medical bay that was full of what looked to be miners in the remaining kolto tanks. The only thing was, they all looked as if they were dead… and there were no medical personnel around anywhere. _What is going on here?_ Kira shrugged and decided first order of the day would be to find some clothes. As she had been in the tank a while she had been in her issued underwear, not the most flattering of outfits. She couldn't even find a towel to dry herself off so would have to drip dry.

_No sign of anyone anywhere… where are they all?_ Heading over to the medbay computer she logged on to see what information she could find out. _Hmmm interesting…_ From the holovid's she could see footage of herself being carried from the Ebon Hawk. Another showed a discussion going on about her being a Jedi and also of all of the droids acting oddly. Another lot of footage showed an argument taking place, some of the miners wanted to turn her over to the Exchange for the bounty. _Now that's not good… _She unlocked the doors to the morgue and the stores room and headed in to find some clothing. _What? No clothes? Oh that's just great… I still have to run around in my underwear… just great… what fun… NOT! _

She headed from the stores room into the morgue, seeing the old woman from the video footage of the Ebon Hawk laid out there. Paying no more attention to her, she moved onto the only other occupant, searching for anything useful that she could use for either a weapon or for later use.

"Find what you're looking for amongst the dead?"

Kira jumped and spun around… seeing the woman now standing before her… strangely enough it didn't surprise her as much as she thought it would have.

"Your voice I heard it as I floated in the kolto tank."

"I hoped as much", the old woman stated and went on to mention that it would have been through her Jedi training.

Kira looked thoughtfully at her before answering, "So you can touch minds... and feign death. Who are you?"

"I am Kreia, and I am your rescuer from the Harbinger...do you remember what happened?"

Now Kira had to think hard… she really didn't know what had happened… "Last thing I remember, I was on board a Republic ship...what happened to it?"

"Your ship was attacked by the sith... they are after you because of your Jedi training, no doubt." Kreia stated.

Feeling that honesty was the best policy Kira answered her truthfully, "I am no longer a member of the Jedi Order."

Kreia regarded her carefully for a moment, her voice very understanding when she spoke. "Your stance, your walk is that of a Jedi...your past is what weighs you down."

Feeling the need to unburden somewhat Kira replied, "The Jedi Order and I have a ... troubled history. I was exiled."

"So it would seem" Kreia regarded her with an understanding look on her face"... let us focus on the now."

"Very well. How do we get out of here?" Kira dropped one subject and took up another.

"I do not know...we should recover the Ebon Hawk and leave."

Kira's head was still rather fuzzy, she gathered it was from whatever medications she had been given while in the tank. Puzzled she looked into Kreia's sightless eyes.

"Why do we need to leave?"

"We were attacked once by the sith, they would find us easy prey indeed." Kreia calmly stated, managing to make Kira feel the urgency behind her words.

"You seem nervous, worried. Is something wrong?" Kira got the feeling that something was wrong… but she really couldn't focus properly just yet, it had been such a long time since she had felt the force, had trusted the force.

"...we will need to depart as suddenly as we arrived." Kreia's tone sounded far away again before she snapped again back to the present, looking her over. "You may wish to extend your search for some clothes..."

Kira looked down at herself, blushing slightly. She had almost forgotten her unclothed state and that sharply reminded her. Concern for her companion came through in her voice… she would have to do all the running around for a while.

"I'll return soon to make sure you're all right."

She headed out of the morgue, coming up against a damaged door. Grabbing the plasma torch Kira set to work on the door, trying to get it open. With much effort she managed to open it and passed through, checking everything in sight for equipment and weapons that she might need, although she still couldn't find any clothing. _Where the hell are the clothes? There's got to be some around here somewhere, you'd think they would have had a set in the med bay for their patients dignity at least! Humph! At least they should have been in the lockers…_

Kreia's voice again sounded in her mind, giving her a lesson on the feelings within the force… telling her to stretch out her senses to see what was beyond the doors without using her eyes. It took some time to focus on what used to be second nature to her, she would have to relearn all that she had had taken from her, all that had been second nature to her. What she sensed made her glad that she hadn't just barged straight into the next room… forewarned is forearmed.

_Oh great just what I needed, to fight psychopathic droids in my underwear with only a plasma torch… great, great, great… this keeps getting better and better… NOT!_ She found that the room was full of mining droids. She would have to fight her way through them only armed with the plasma torch. It actually turned out to be rather efficient tool against them. Kira found that she easily fell into the dance of the battle, especially since these droids were not programmed to be attack droids originally.

Someone had done a quick job on reprogramming to turn them into combat machines. For not having fought close combat for quite some time, she slashed and jabbed, parried and defended herself admirably against her opponents, finding only a few of the mining laser blasts getting through her defenses. The warrior inside of her came easily to the surface and with feeling the force whispering in her veins after so long she felt more in tune with herself than she had for a long time. With her injuries though, she'd either have to concentrate on healing – if she could remember how to do that, or find a medpack somewhere, probably have to find a medpack. Her touch with the Force was only tentative as yet. Kira's other option was to return to the med station and fix herself up again before going any further. Dismissing the latter thought she moved on.

Finding a vibroblade lying under one of the fallen miners Kira picked it up, knowing she would need it more than the deceased and kept going ahead, fighting her way past the remaining droids and searching through the facility for some sign of life other than the psychopathic droids that she was really starting to hate, at least she could trust T3. That little droid was one of the few that she knew she could trust. Spying a backpack she grabbed what she could find as she went, shoving items into the pack then throwing it over her shoulder, disappointed that she still hadn't found any clothing. Her short jumpsuit underwear was starting to look rather tattered by this time, laser blasts had scorched and burnt holes in a few places and she looked rather battle scarred, blood drying here and there where she'd been hit by glancing blows.

The Exile had to fight her way through several more groups of scattered droids as she made her way through the complex. The droids seemed to congregate in one's and two's more than anything else. Finally making it to the Administration section of Peragus she again heard Kreia's voice in her mind as she neared yet another closed door and fully expecting another fight once she entered. Surprise crossed her features at what the old woman had to say…

Ah… beyond this door someone yet lives… be mindful… his thoughts are… difficult to read… but you have nothing to fear from this one.

Kira made her way inside to see a man locked in the containment field looking like he had been there for some time. He looked up as she entered the room, his eyes lighting up as he took in her appearance, a huge smirk appearing on his face.

"Nice outfit – what, you miners change regulation uniforms since I've been in here?"

"I'd keep those eyes up, and tell me who you are." His words as well as the look he gave made her self-conscious. She could feel his eyes travel over her.

"Atton… Atton Rand. Excuse me if I don't shake hands – The field only causes minor electrical burns."

_Ah… a comedian, this should be interesting… _"Care to explain why you're locked up?" She asked curiously, her embarrassment momentarily forgotten.

"Security claimed I violated some trumped up regulations or other. Take it up with them but they stopped listening shortly before they stopped feeding me. Now that's criminal."

"This facility is deserted. What happened?" Sympathy for the dead briefly appeared on her face before she schooled it back to neutral. Atton wondered if he'd even seen the emotion cross her face… he was finding it hard to take his eyes off her. It had been some time since he had been with a woman and this one… well… standing there in her underwear, even if she did look alittle tattered was playing on his mind.

"You mean before or after the Jedi turned up? Either way it's a real short story. You see, this Jedi turns up and you know what that means – where there's one Jedi – the Republic will soon be crawling up your ion engine in no time. But the story gets better. See, some of the miners get it into their ferrocrete skulls that since the Jedi's unconscious, they can collect the bounty the Exchange has posted on live Jedi. Well what passes for law around here didn't like that idea, so the two groups started fighting. Then there was some explosion, I was sitting here some time and then you showed up in your underwear and things got a lot better."

Kira had to struggle not to blush, managing it only just. It had been such a long time since someone had even tried to flirt with her. She ignored his last comment, instead focusing on the bounty he had mentioned. It was news to her, she had been out of touch for a very long time… "There's a bounty on captured Jedi? Why?"

"Don't know much about it. Maybe the Exchange wants one as a trophy, or somebody's got something against Jedi and is looking to collect. Not many Jedi left… wouldn't surprise me if the bounty's pretty high."

Why were there so many gaps in her memory…why did she stay so long out of touch beyond the outer rim? "Not many Jedi left? What happened to them?" Her mind worked quickly, images of all the Jedi she knew flashed past and she had to wonder if they were all dead, or if they survived. The Jedi had been such a worthy cause, such a noble vocation, even if she was on the outside now.

"The ones that weren't killed in the Jedi Civil War ended up switching off the lightsabers long ago. Word is, there's not even a Jedi Council anymore, but who knows?" He was watching her closely, wondering at the sadness that briefly appeared in her eyes. Again he had to wonder if he had imagined it or not as it disappeared just as quick.

"Was it caused by the Mandalorian Wars?" She had fought in them, she had made her decision and stood by it… and for that had suffered in exile ever since. The only one to return to face the Council after defying them.

"Yeah, Revan, Malic and the Jedi that went to join them in the Mandalorian Wars. They turned against the other Jedi and had a scrap that almost laid waste to the galaxy. Heh. Where have you been?"

Knowing she had to say something, she hesitantly answered him, "I've been… away since the Mandalorian Wars."

"Well, I wasn't there. But like all Sith, Revan and Malic turned on each other. After they turned on the Republic."

"I was led to believe that Revan had saved the Jedi – and the Republic." That much she did know, having heard that when she'd been on board the Republic ship. She had felt the truth behind the words spoken.

"I guess… there's rumors all over space about it. All I heard was Revan returned to pay Malic back for trying to kill her in the first place. You know women." His words were to try and get a reaction out of her, he was finding this woman before him quite interesting and not only because of her near naked state.

"I had heard Raven's redemption involved her stopping Malic, and she had no choice but to fight him."

After all these years she still defended Revan, still believed that the choices that had been made at the time were for a reason, and that she had followed her into battle for the right reasons. The Council hadn't wanted to save the innocents but those Jedi that had followed Revan and Malic had. In hindsight she maybe wouldn't have made the same choices, but then… how was she to know that she would be stripped of the one thing that was so important to her, that had made her who she was. She had been paying for her choice ever since.

"Well, I wasn't there, thankfully. But I heard what she was like during the Mandalorian Wars, and it sounded like she was quick to wipe out anyone who crossed her. Dark Jedi are bad enough, but when woman falls to the dark side, you better space yourself before they catch you. Uh, no offense or anything." Suddenly realizing what he had said, he tried to back out of it, colour creeping up his face.

"None taken – I had some more questions for you." Towards the end Revan had acted like that… that was when Kira had made another choice and had been the only one that she knew of to do so. She had turned her back on the war, on following Revan and Malic into the darkness.

"Look, not like your half-naked interrogation isn't a personal fantasy of mine, but… Hey, wait a minute – you are that Jedi the miners were talking about. Where is everybody?"

_I wondered when you'd realize that…_ "I don't know – this facility seems abandoned." Silently she laughed to herself, he had part of it correct at any rate.

"The miners can't be all gone. But if they are… Look – hey, let me out and I can help you. I can. I've gotten out of trouble countless times." Now his mind was working over time… he could get out of here… escape… but he was quick to realize that he would need her help to do so. He wasn't above teaming up with someone while the need was there… and besides, she looked damn sexy in her underwear, a real sight for sore eyes…

"Tell me your plan, and we'll go from there." Kira was fully aware of him checking her out, she also made it obvious that she was doing the same to him. While he wasn't the cutest she had seen, there was… something about him. Maybe it was his roguish good looks.

"This facility isn't a military installation which means we may have a chance. You shut down this cells' security field, and I can reroute the emergency systems so we can get to the hangers. We grab a ship and then we fly out of here."

"One thing first… the patients in the medical bay were killed by a lethal dose of sedatives. Know anything about that?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" His voice was honestly puzzled, he didn't know what the hell she was talking about.

"Nothing, I trust you – let me get you out of that cage and we can work together to get out of this mess."

She released him from his cage and he stepped out if it, a look of pure relief crossing his face as he left it behind. "Great – now to business. Lets get to the command console."

"All right, lets go." Kira motioned for him to walk with her, keeping herself on guard for any other unwanted surprises.

They both headed over to the console to see what information they could retrieve. The whole instillation had been locked down. They couldn't even transfer the navigation information to the Ebon Hawk. They would have difficulties even just reaching her ship. This was not good. Kira managed to tinker with the control panel and get a response on the communications unit. T3-M4 answered her call… at least that was something. They at least had a chance to get off this station. She told him what the situation was and set the little droid to work, trying to get them access to the lower levels and hopefully into the hanger.

While T3 was going about trying to find a way to open the turbolifts between levels she was surprised at what Atton came out with… not exactly what she was expecting from him and she felt self-conscious from his comments. He had been checking her out more than she had thought.

"So, uh, how long have you been a Jedi? Must be tough, you know… no family, … no husband…" His eyes traveled appreciatively over her again.

_Getting abit personal aren't you buddy?_ "I don't really want to talk about it."

Her tone was said one thing – end of subject, she didn't want to discuss it. He didn't need to know that she was an exile, that she had been kicked out of the Jedi Order, at least not until she got to know him enough to open up, to trust him. She hadn't wanted to even think about those issues. She had been exiled by the Council since the end of the Mandalorian War and had kept herself private and apart from everyone. No contact with anyone if she couldn't help it, no personal attachments of any kind... and no friends. She had lead a lonely life for the last few years and wondered why, now, she had been brought back into civilization.

The door to the turbolift opened, letting Kira feel a sense of relief that the subject would be dropped. His comments did get her thinking though, and she really didn't _want_ to think about it. Why had she cut herself off so completely? Not only had she been cut off from the Force, she had personally punished herself by removing herself from society, purposefully keeping herself beyond all reach out on the edges of known space. Until recently. Until she had been brought back. She still didn't quite understand why. Why hadn't she let go of the past, why hadn't she sort companionship, maybe even a husband after all that had happened. The Order didn't have any hold over her now, she was free to have a relationship if she wanted to, so why hadn't she? Was it just because she hadn't met anyone she was attracted to? Or was it because she still held onto the morals of the Jedi Code. "There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no passion, there is serenity." The two lines of the code that dealt with matters of the heart. Why had she _not_ let them go? There was nothing stopping her from doing so… or was there? Was she just afraid to let go… to love…

"Hey what do you know – that little cargo cylinder came through." Atton's voice broke through her reverie.

"It looks like it. But it's strange he didn't contact us on the comm." She brought herself back to the hear and now and could sense that something wasn't quite right… what had happened to T3 that he didn't contact her? Another thing that was strange… her force senses were slowly returning. That in itself was rather… difficult to deal with. She had mixed emotions regarding it. She hadn't felt the touch of the Force since Malachor V and had felt the Jedi Council had stripped her of her powers for what she had done there. The price of war. The price for defying the Council.

"If he got the turbolifts working, then we should have a clear run to the hanger." Atton continued not realizing her mind was elsewhere still.

"The turbolifts are locked down manually, so I had him open the emergency hatch."

" Wait, wait. Don't tell me you're taking that hatch down into the mining tunnels... are you? That explosion I heard coming from below. There's probably nothing down there except superheated rock and collapsed blast tunnels. You'd be an idiot to go down there."

The look she gave him was resigned for a number of reason's. For the time being she would let him believe what he would, if he thought her still a Jedi, so be it, besides, if her powers were returning, she would have the better chance of getting though the tunnels. "A Jedi's life is sacrifice – besides, someone's got to save our skins"

"You're either really brave or really crazy – or both. All right – I'll try to monitor things from up here. Be careful – the only thing moving down there is likely to be droids, so don't be playing hero too hard. Uh, not that I care what happens to or anything. I just don't want to be trying to get off this rock by myself." A slight blush crept up his face and he avoided her eyes.

Kira hid a smile, although mischief shon in her clear blue eyes. "Your concern is noted. I'll be going now." More lighthearted than she had been for a time, she turned to go.

"I'll keep the comm link open… I may be able to guide you through the tunnels from up here. Don't know if the signal will hold if you get too deep though."

She gave him a cocky wave as she headed to the turbolift and down to the tunnels below. One thought kept coming into her head as she looked at her reflection in the metallic surface of the turbolift. _Man I hope I find some clothes soon!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

_As most likely noted in the first chapter, I have used quotes from the game for what has been said between characters. I find that it keeps the story on track for the game. Some of this is rushed also as I wasn't all that keen on Peragus and wanted to finish it.  
_

Cautiously she stepped out of the turbolift. All was quiet and she stretched out with her returning senses to see what was around her. She wandered down the stark white walled corridor in eerie silence, her mind travelling back to another time, in another place...

_A small four year old, silver/blonde haired girl walked down a white marble corridor into the Jedi Enclave on Coruscant. Turning to look up at the blonde woman holding her hand, tears began to leak from her startling blue eyes._

_"I don't want to stay Mummy, please take me home. I don't know anybody."_

_"This is where you need to be sweetheart. Here you can learn to be a Jedi like Aunt Ralla. I'm sure you'll make friends soon. Your always quick to make friends."_

_Ralla and her daughter Danni Sunrider had been family legends and the whole family had all hoped for another of their line to follow the Jedi path. Ralla's brother-in-law had settled on the planet Mirialan, although it looked like the Sunrider's Force sensitivity had diminished, having skipped a couple of generations._

_Kira had been three when it first became obvious that she was Force Sensitive, so they had her tested. Everyone was ecstatic when she was found to have a high midichlorian count, just as high as her Great Aunt Ralla. Her family had saved up and made the journey from the mid rim world of Mirialan to the Core World Coruscant, delivering her personally to the Enclave._

_Before they reached the end of the corridor, an auburn haired girl with bright green eyes and around the same age as her came running up to them,_

_"You just got here? I'm Revan, what's your name?"_

_"Kira."_

_"You're going to love it here! Come on! I'll show you around…"_

_Letting go of her mother's hand and with only one backward glance, the two girls went running off together, giggling and becoming firm friends right from the start. A male voice spoke to her mother as the girls disappeared,_

_"I see Revan has taken Kirana under her wing. I'm sure she will be fine. You need not worry..."_

Further down the empty corridor, the Exile discovered a storage container. She had to use her skills with tinkering to unlock it but when she did she found that it was well worth it. Atton's voice came over the communicator, breaking into her thoughts.

"Find any emergency supplies?"

"Yes... and it looks like there's some clothes in here." Kira added humorously as she picked up a miners uniform, grinning as she heard his next comment.

"Dammit! Uh… I mean good, good to hear. No sense in you running around half naked. It's... its distracting... I mean, for the droids..." He rolled his eyes thinking that he'd really put his foot in it this time…

It was lucky that Atton couldn't hear her as Kira did laugh at that. _Yeah right… like the droids really get distracted by a near naked woman… NOT! _

Kira quickly dressed in the uniform, putting on the mining shield and safety harness, then stowing the other equipment in her pack, breathing a huge sigh of relief that she was now clothed. It was surprising how warm the clothing made her since she'd been running round with next to nothing on before. She now had a collection of med kits as well as other items, parts, weapons and stims that she had collected along the way. She headed through the next door and into the cave.

_More droids? Just great… there's endless supply of them it seems… huh? What's this? Ah darn it. Need to concentrate on those little buggers first … can't have them fixing their larger counterparts up now can we…_ She heard Atton's voice come over the communicator again, warning her of a "battalion" of droids up ahead.

_You don't say…_ "I think I've found them, and that's not all either. They've got those little spherical mechanic droids that fix the larger ones too."

Atton swore, telling her that she'd be better off getting rid of the maintenance droids first so they couldn't fix the others. _Hmm great minds think alike…_ Kira thought as she continued to do just that. She had to recharge her shields often, occasionally using the Medpacs as she went, falling into the dance of combat. Swiping and lunging at the droids with her vibroblade and finding that if she destroyed the smaller droids near the larger mining droids she caused more damage to the latter. The deeper she went into the tunnels, the more the Force flowed through her body, the connection growing stronger than she had felt it in years.

Finally she reached the fuel pumps at the end of the tunnel, finding a console that allowed her to change the programming of the droids. She also shut down the fuel containment systems. Kira reprogrammed the droids not to attack organics, feeling that she needed a break from fighting droids the whole way through the rest of the complex, also raising the temperature so that the other droids sensors would be scrambled and she'd be able to move about relatively undetected. She was beginning to feel weary, also hungry, not having had any food for so long now. She didn't know if the food would be edible here now, with so much sabotage going on so didn't know when her next meal might be.

Atton contacted her again then, asking her what she was doing "down there". The level was going to blow if she wasn't careful. He told her he'd try and keep things under control until she at least made it off the level, urging her to hurry.

Kira heeded his advice, finding an extra burst of energy to race to the lift, running at full pelt and rebounding from the back wall to slap the controls, closing the door … just as it blew. The elevator shook as it ascended, lights blinking on and off as the explosions rocked the complex but stayed mostly contained, ripping apart the lower levels. Slumping to the floor she caught her breath, checking herself over for other injuries. Close call but she was still in one piece.

Up in the Administration section of the complex, Atton stood shaking his head, _'Crazy Jedi, she'll get herself killed if she's not careful. Sithspit, then what will I look at? Come on girl, make it through…_' He silently urged her on. There was just _something_ about her…

Kira found herself on another level of the complex and cautiously made her way through the empty corridors until she came across the body of who looked to be another miner. The difference here was that there was another droid standing over him and that this droid seemed to know her and hadn't attacked on sight as the rest had, still she was very wary.

"Greeting: It is a pleasure to see you alive Master. How may I be of assistance?"

Kira was puzzled, she didn't remember having owned a droid before… "How do you know me? I'm not your master."

The droid answered that he had been the Captain of the Harbinger's and that since the captain was no longer alive, she was now his Master. By the tone that the droid used, Kira was positive that it wasn't the case. This became especially so when she queried it and found out that she had been it's 'bounty'. She wasn't happy to find out that it was the cause behind the miner's deaths. It had believed that they were out to harm her and had gotten in first. _Strange logic for a droid. I wonder who programmed it?_

She left the droid standing over the body while she searched the area for useful items, finding a sonic imprint sensor. Continuing her explorations, Kira discovered that she needed a voice print of the dead mechanic to open the airlock. Giving thought to the matter, she went back to the droid, questioning it some more to get it to imitate the voice codes the maintenance officer had used to open the outer Air lock. In a sad sort of a way, Kira was silently amused at how proud the HK droid was. she could have laughed at it under other circumstances, though managed to keep her amusement to herself and a straight expression on her face as she listened to him.

"Proud answer: Master, I believe my vocabulator is working adequately enough to accommodate your request. Recitation: "Maintenance Control: Voiceprint ID: R1-B5" There. Was that sufficient Master?"

"Yes, I think that's all I'll need."

"Confused Query: I'm sorry Master. Were you speaking to yourself?"

She gave HK droid a non-committal answer and headed off to the airlock. In the storage room before the airlock she went through the lockers and containers, looking for – and finding – a space suit. Now she would be able to get to the other area of the station and see if there were any other survivors.

The suit was cumbersome and it took some time to get into it. Eventually she managed it, finally passing through the relative safety of the airlock. She paused on the ramp outside the airlock and looked out. The view was amazing and she watched for some time as the asteroids floated by. Setting off, further along she noticed that the vapors were being released across the walkway, Kira being careful to avoid them. _That's dangerous! Who did that I wonder? I doubt very much that that would be proper protocol for a security conscious station like this was rumoured to be. Someone's tampered with that too..._ Kira had to hurry to get past it, a very difficult task in the bulky suit. She found that while she was protected by the suit she still felt effects of the dangerous vapours. She had almost made it to the next air lock when Atton contacted her again, her eyes traveling to the large windows of the Administration Centre she was outside of. She could see him in there.

"It's about time. I lost your signal after you left the mining tunnels. Now you're coming in clear… except I'm picking you up on the exterior of the facility, on the asteroids surface. That can't be right." Atton sounded very puzzled, the latter spoken as if he were thinking it rather than saying it.

Finding the look on his face through the window amusing, she couldn't help but laugh as she replied, "I'm right outside the observation window". She raised her hand, waving to him through it and laughing harder at the incredulous expression on his face.

"Huh? What are you doing out there?"

"I need to get to the miners in the dormitory section, and this is the only way to get there." She explained to him as she made her way further along the walkway.

"You're crazy! Even for a Jedi. Look, you need to get out of there… quick."

Kira took note of his tone, he sounded very worried – for her, "Something wrong?"

He went on to explain about the venting systems being active. _I already know that Atton… _Kira sarcastically thought to herself. His voice betrayed a suspicious tone as he mused that it almost seemed like it had been done on purpose, right when she had gone out side for her space walk. Through the open comm she heard the panel he was at beep, then his voice came over again.

"Oh, what now? I don't believe this – there's a ship coming in, sending a docking code… I have a bad feeling about this."

She had to agree with him as she observed the ship come in. There was something about it. She hurried on her way… making it to the dormitory level in quick time… also finding the now expected obstacle of droids to get through.

Making it into the first set of dormitories, she came across another problem. There was gas being vented into them, and it looked like she wouldn't find any survivors at all. Her fears were confirmed, and she sadly looked upon the deceased miners lying where they had fallen, having been herded into the dormitories to die in another mad man's scheme. Kira found a holo reader terminal at the main door to the first dormitory. Accessing it, she shut off the gas so that she could safely examine the rest of the rooms in both dormitories. Her decision to check the rooms was in the event someone had left some sort of information and her instinct proved correct as she came across a number of personal holopads. She had to take them back to the terminal in the first dormitory because the one in the second dormitory had been smashed.

Kira slotted each one in to see what they had on them. This confirmed that the miners were killed on purpose and that Coorta had been out to collect the bounty – on her! It seemed that Coorta was behind the miners being herded into the dormitories and gassed. This did not bode well at all, especially since she hadn't yet come across the body of the one called Coorta, his image having been shown in one of the holopads. There was nothing she could do about the deceased miners now so Kira continuing on her way.

It had been a sad affair checking the bedrooms in the dormitories, seeing how many lives had been cut short. In fact, everywhere she had come across the bodies of the miners of Peragus Station. She couldn't do anything to bury the dead or even to get them to the morgue as there was something hastening her to go faster, to find a way off this station. She felt like she had to watch over her shoulder. Kira had to wonder if it was something to do with the Force returning to her... her danger sense kicking into overdrive. Once they got away from here, she would see if some sort of clean up team could be sent to Peragus to deal with all the bodies.

She left the dormitories behind her, moving through into the mess hall. As with everywhere she had gone so far, Kira had to fight her way through the droids. Whoever had reprogrammed them, she wished she could get her hands on them right then... she might have thought twice about the Jedi ideals. _But I'm not a Jedi anymore... I haven't been one for years... they turned their back on me when I needed their compassion and they..._ Kira shook her head, casting those thoughts aside at least for the time being.

As she moved into the next room, again she saw bodies, though this time it looked as though they had fought first. Upon closer inspection she saw that Coorta was one of the deceased. She searched his body, finding his datapad, thinking that there might be some more information on there with regards to what had gone on. Placing the holopad into the reader in the corner of the room, Kira entered a code that she'd found. This opened the turbo lift. Before anything else could go wrong, she stepped into the turbolift, holding her breath as it took her to the next level, only breathing it out when she arrived back on the administration level. Her eyes showed surprise at seeing the old woman there.

" I have felt a disturbance... our enemy is here. We must leave at once.

"Enemy?"

"The one that fired upon the Ebon Hawk as we attempted to rescue you... and he will not let us go without blood being shed."

"Wait - Who is this enemy?" Kira asked as Kreia started to walk towards the Administration center.

"This story is a long one and time is short, come - we must go, and quickly."

"Alright", she agreed, though promised to herself that she would take this up again when she got the chance to, "Lets go."

"We need to make our way to the docking area on this level. I fear the airlock has already opened and if so, we must be on our guard. If we cannot reach the Ebon Hawk, then we must find a way to escape on the ship that has docked here".

The two headed off in the direction of the main Administration area, Kira having the feeling she should be looking over her shoulder again, though when she did she didn't see anything there. Coming up on the location that she had left Atton, she could have laughed at his expression when he saw that she had another with her.

"What in space is going on? Who's this" he asked, pointing to Kreia. "Another Jedi? What, did you guys suddenly start breeding when I wasn't looking?"

"Atton, there's no time to explain - grab a weapon and follow me." Kira shook her head, pointing in the direction they needed to go.

"Uh... all right. I'm guessing that Republic ship that just docked isn't carrying friends of yours."

"I hope your talent for understatement is off set by your skill with a blaster. If not, then I fear our time together will be short indeed." Kreia disdainfully said to Atton.

Not to be outdone, he couldn't keep himself from saying, "Yeah, and I'm also good at running and drinking your majesty." In a more serious tone of voice he added, "And even if you two aren't big friends of the Republic, that warship is the only way off this station. Good thing we have a clear run to the shi..."

"Threat: Master, perhaps I did not enunciate clearly the last time we spoke. I suggested that you should shut down, stay put, and wait for rescue"

Kira shifted her gaze towards the HK-50 Assassin Droid that was now baring their way to the docked ship. "No, you were clear, I just don't listen to assassin droids."

"Clarification: 'Assassin Droid' is such a crude term Master, reserved for durasteel drones uploaded with only the most archaic kill-programs. The function I perform has been referred to as 'wanton slaughter'. I prefer to see it as a means of facilitating communication resulting in the termination of hostilities."

It dawned on her that she had better question this droid more, a heavy suspicion entering her mind. "Are you the one that killed all of the miners?"

"Indignant answer: Master, the miners intended to place you in jeopardy. I couldn't allow that to take place so I was forced to negotiate a termination of hostilities."

The HK-50 model continued to elaborate on how he had reprogrammed the mining droids to 'mine' organics. Also how it had programmed others to set explosions in the tunnels that would result in toxic gases entering the ventilation system. It admitted to having given a lethal dose of medications to the other miners in the kolto tanks, her dosage, because she was a Jedi, was to keep her unconscious until 'pick up' or rather 'rescue' as he kept calling it. It went on to mention that it had been employed to capture her for his client, though wouldn't let her know who that was. It wasn't out to 'kill' her as it had instructions to deliver her alive to the client.

Kira didn't like the thought of any of it. With a glance at Atton and Kreia, she opened aggressive negotiations of her own, on the HK-50 Assassin Droid and the remote mines he activated to prevent them from leaving. It was determined that it would take her - alive, even if it had to injure her to incapacitate her in the process. She wouldn't have any of that, using the pistol she had found to take the mines out first, and also using her returning force skills to stun the droid. Kreia must not have been feeling well either as her touch with the Force seemed not to be as strong as she thought it would be... either that or she was testing Kira.

For a fight with three against one, it took them a while to disable the droid, showing just how skilled the assassin droid was. Atton wanted to move in for the kill, Kira reaching out her arm to prevent him from moving any closer to the droid. Listening to the warning through the force, it was just as well she had done so as the droid said two final words - "Failing master" - before self-destructing. Kira glanced at both her companions before moving forward, scavenging parts and loot from the HK-50 series droid, hoping that she would be able to slice into some of it's programming later if she got the chance to maybe find out who had sent the droid after her.

"Ok, now that that's over, lets get going. I want to get out of here." The suggestion was unanimous with the three of them now heading up the right tunnel towards the docked Harbinger.

It was eerie stepping onto the Harbinger. The sense that something was wrong was heavy in the air, as was the feeling of being watched. It wasn't something she could put her finger on, but it was there. And it wasn't just Atton checking her out every time she turned around as she knew he was doing. Kreia mentioned the lack of anyone living... the eeriness lingered as they made their way further into the ship. They stopped for a moment, the atmosphere tense as they discussed what they were going to do. Kreia admitted that those that were after them, the ones that had originally attacked the Harbinger and then fired upon the Ebon Hawk were assassins of a different kind. They weren't the usual kind of assassins. The trio would have to be careful as they made their way to the Ebon Hawk.

Atton wanted to know how and where, if they were to get to the Ebon Hawk, would they get the asteroid drift charts. Kira suggested that they get them from the bridge of the Harbinger seeing that it had already come through the asteroid field. Kreia wanted them all to be silent so she could think. It was obvious that Kreia and Atton rubbed each other up the wrong way, Kira having to be the peacemaker between them. Finally they settled on Atton's plan, more like the one that Kira had originally come up with though.

They set off for the Bridge of the Harbinger, still with the feeling that they were being watched. They soon found out why as assassins appeared seemingly out of nowhere to attack them. They had been hidden with stealth generators of some kind. Kira could feel Kreia gather the force to stun the trio of assassins that had suddenly appeared. She gathered the Force to herself, focusing on the assassin that appeared in front of her and managed to stun him. Her blade rose up, slicing through him before he could move. Coupled with being shot by Atton or Kreia, he didn't stand a chance. She moved onto the next assassin, the one that Atton was keeping at bay while Kreia dealt with the third. She flurried her blade, dancing forward feeling the Force flowing through her veins once more. She cut him down, finding that between the three they were working as a good team.

It had been so long since she had felt the Force, feeling it again now, ever so slowly returning... it gave her an extra confidence that had been missing for so long. Sure she had done a lot in her past, and had seen a lot of conflict. The ten years she had been wandering the Outer Rim Territories and keeping a low profile, she hadn't had the Force with her... had forgotten what it was like to have it after a time.

They reached the bridge without running into any other assassins, though _knew _that they were out there. There had to be more than the three that they had disposed of. The feeling of being watched was a constant reminder to stay on guard. As they made their way further into the ship, they found themselves in the Briefing Room. Kira sliced into the console in the room, playing the records. Most dealt with normal ship activities. One was about the problems with the comms array and the cascade failure in the weapons system. That message was cut off short. The last message she played the three stood around watching as the holo came up...

Republic Captain _static_: We wanted to check with you Sir, before diverting course from Telos. There appears to be some battle that has taken place in the sector and we've received a distress signal."

Admiral Onasi: You have permission to divert course, Captain. If there is a Sith presence in the region, I want you to investigate. The ID Signature on the freighter... Did you get confirmation on it?

Republic Captain: Yes Sir. We did not have the vessel listed in our databanks so we transmitted the code to you. pause Was there a match?

Admiral Onasi: There was Captain. If you find any trace of that vessel - even wreckage, I want it."

Republic Captain: Yes Sir

Admiral Onasi: After you have investigated the sector, resume course to Telos with the passenger. It is of the highest importance that she reach Telos.

Republic Captain: Yes Sir. I'll make sure she arrives intact.

Admiral Onasi: Good hunting, Captain. Admiral Onasi out. _image of Admiral Onasi fades out_

Republic Captain: "Sometimes I wonder if the right hand of the Republic knows what the left hand is doing. I'm always being kept in the d-"

HK-50 Protocol Droid: Query: You sent for me Captain?

Republic Captain: Yes. I need you to check on the passenger again, see if there's anything she needs. Try not to be too obvious about it. Her safety is our top concern.

HK-50: Statement: I shall use the utmost discretion, Captain. As always, it is my pleasure to serve.

_holo recording ends_

"The Captain never had a clue... HK protocol droid indeed..." Kira murmured to herself seeing the assassin droid acting in the capacity of a protocol droid while hunting for her. It'd had a lucky break when she'd been taken on board. Kira knew that she was the 'passenger' that they were talking about.

"Right, lets get going. The sooner we're away from here the better." She added, her gaze going between Atton and Kreia. The three of them set off again, something leading Kira to towards the crew quarters. As they moved along, the feeling of being watched increased. "Lookout!" She yelled towards Atton, automatically using the Force to push what seemed to be air, but ended up being an assassin. Her instincts were kicking in, her danger sense high. Three more assassins materialised once their presence had been discovered. Atton proved to be a good shot, getting through the assassins guard and dropping first one, then wounding another before Kira closed in for the kill. Kreia took care of the third. This was the pattern they seemed to find, every time they encountered more assassins... always three of them. It seemed a never ending supply and made them wonder just how they had gotten past all of the crew of the Harbinger.

Kira stopped in front of one of the rooms in the crew quarters, her mind jolting her suddenly with memories that flooded back.

"Are you all right?" Kreia stepped closer to her, the concern in her voice surprising Kira.

"These were my quarters."

"This was your room? When?" Atton piped up, his voice layered in a way Kira didn't want to read into, specially after some of his earlier questions back in the Peragus Administration facility.

Kira turned from the door to look at him, a bit of sarcasm creeping into her voice, "Before I lost consciousness and woke up on Peragus."

"We do not have much time." The caution in Kreia's voice subtly reminding her of the peril they were in. "Whatever you intend to do, do it quickly."

With a short nod of her head, Kira moved towards the door, slicing it open and entering. More memories flowed through her mind as she made her way over to the locker. Opening it up she found the possessions she'd had with her there. She quickly slipped her arm band back on, along with placing the remainder of the items into her backpack. There was a datapad there stating that she had been ordered to the medbay. "We need to go there. I want some answers." The other two conceded, the trio cautiously making their way towards the medical center.

Reaching the medical center, the first thing that they noticed was that the central kolto tank looked like whatever had been in there it had broken out. Shattered glass was surrounding the base of it on the floor. Kira made her way to the console, slicing into it and accessing the records concerning herself. _No wonder I don't remember much of my time on board... _What she found was that she had been given an overdose of meds. The dose had a delayed reaction which was possibly why she remembered going back to her room and nothing after that. It had caused her to fall unconscious. _I wonder if the assassin droid was responsible for that... most likely judging by what happened to the miners... and that the Captain had told it to check on me...  
_

Kira also accessed the other records there, the three watching the holo images of what had happened ... and what the thing was that had been in the kolto tank. The sith's skin was covered by deep cracks, it's bones according to the medical officer, were shattered over and over again. It was a being that the medical officer couldn't understand how it was still alive... or how it held together. Kreia remained tight-lipped with regards to it, Kira getting a feeling that the old woman knew much more than she was letting on.

The three left the medical center after raiding the supplies. Kira had also tinkered briefly with the damaged medical droid, repairing it enough so that it would follow them and heal them if they needed to be patched up by the constant attacks that came from the assassins. They made it to the turbo lift, all three breathing a small sigh of relief that it was working and that there were no nasty surprises within it.

As they stepped out of the turbo lift onto the Engine Deck, Kira couldn't help but groan at Atton's comment. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Would you stop saying that."

"I can't help it - don't you feel it?" Atton asked her, his attention on her, "Somethings gonna get real wrong, real quick."

"How do you know that?" the question escaping before she could stop it, though she was genuinely curious as to how he felt it.

"You don't survive on the Rim as long as I have without knowing when trouble is coming." He responded somewhat guarded in his tone.

Kira had to accept that answer for now though would keep an eye on him. There was just something... "We'll have to be careful then. But we need to keep moving."

"All right, but don't say I didn't warn ya. Trust me, when it comes to staying alive, I'm rarely wrong about these things."

_I'll keep that in mind_... her words were left unspoken as they moved further away from the turbo lift. It was darker here, the lighting having been cut in more than one location. There was a heavy, almost ominous feeling about the trio as they made their way along the darkened corridor. Almost as one, the three of them stopped at the four way junction, all turning in the same direction. The creature from the medbay holo's was standing past the next blast door. He looked horrid. The sort of thing that nightmares were made of. Whatever was holding him together, it wasn't natural.

"This battle is mine alone. I am not defenseless. He cannot kill what he cannot see, and power has blinded him long ago. Run. I shall be along shortly."

Kreia's voice was calm as she stepped in front of them. She was definite in her words, leaving no room for argument as she stepped forward almost blending into the shadows. As she passed the blast door, it closed, cutting them off from the confrontation between Kreia and the Sith. Kira and Atton looked towards the door, hesitating at the thought of Kreia facing that thing, then at each other. They decided they had better follow her instructions, both moving as one down another of the other corridors at a run. Each had the sense that they had to get out of there in a hurry.

The direction that they took had them come to another room with a console. Kira moved to it, slicing in and tapping out a few commands. She opened up the passage way to the fuel lines.

"Tell me you're joking. We are not going to cross back into the Peragus facility through the fuel line - that's crazy!" Atton shook his head at her, the look on his face almost pleading with her not to.

"It's the only way to get around the sealed door and into the hanger where the Ebon Hawk is." Surprisingly, Kira's voice was calm.

"All right, but I know I'm going to regret this."

The two of them headed into the red lit area of the fuel lines, following the scaffolding along through the pipes. About half way through, Kira cried out, clutching her hand. It burned. It was so painful that she almost fell to the ground.

Atton was at her side immediately, his arms going around her waste to keep her from falling. "Wh-what's wrong? Are you all right?" She didn't know whether to nod or shake her head, tears flowing down her face from the shock of it. "Dammit hold on! It's only a little further. Don't give up on me now!" He helped her to keep going, only stopping when they reached the relative safety of the facility. "What happened to you?"

"Kreia... I think she was wounded... badly." Kira had to take a breath each time she spoke, the pain taking it's time to ebb away.

"Huh? How do you know that?"

"I... think it was through the Force." It was still a shock to her that she felt such pain through the Force.

"Look - if she's in pain, then that pain's buying us time we can't afford to waste. Especially if 'sleeps-with-vibroblades' gets tired of playing with her and decides to use us for practice next."

His arguments were very valid and though Kira hated the thought of leaving Kreia behind, she knew that they couldn't remain where they were. She was feeling a little more like herself, the pain easing off. "All right... lets go..." '_Got to take my mind off it... for now at least...'_

Crossing into the Peragus facility again, they come across the T3 unit looking rather beaten up. Kira still cradled her hand, though the pain was receding. The poor droid whistled and beeped, the sadness in it's personality coming across.

"It's a utility droid - looks like it's been hit with an ion charge and dumped here." Atton commented, stopping short of the droid as if he had something against it.

"Dee... reet. Dee... eet?

Kira pushed in front of Atton, crouching down next to the small droid, her demeanor showing she knew this droid but how she knew it she didn't recall. "I know - we ran into the "protocol droid" earlier, he attacked us too." She rested her hand on T3-M4's head as she looked over the droid to make sure he was alright, then tinkering to get him going again. Pulling around her backpack, she pulled out a few parts she'd picked up, now using them to fix the small droid.

"Dee... dree ... eet."

"Don't blame yourself. If you hadn't gotten us out of the administration level, we'd never of made it this far." The young woman reassured the utility droid. Kira had a sympathy for it, instinctively knowing she could trust T3 where she couldn't trust the other droids on this facility.

"Dee - dreet."

Standing up after making sure he was in working order and able to function now, Kira motioned for T3 to come with them, "Come on then, we have to hurry."

"Dee, Dreet."

When she opened the door, allowing them into the other part of the facility, T3 rolled along behind Kira but in front of Atton. That was until he let out a shrill whistle of warning. Four mining droids and a sensor droid, programmed to attack organics waited for them around the corner. Kira was getting stronger with her powers as she re-acquainted herself with the Force, the pain she'd felt through it also serving to boost her re-connection. When she first lost her powers, it had been a huge shock. One minute she had them, then they were gone. She had suffered after that last huge battle, and then, what happened afterwards... it had felt like she had been stripped of the one thing that made her life worth living, devastating her for a long time afterwards. Kira had had to work hard to make herself want to live, to get through each new day after it had happened.

Dodging the bolt fired by one of the droids, Kira leapt forward, vibroblade flashing in one hand, the other raising up as if to push the droid backwards. It registered that the droid moved backwards before her hands both clasped the hilt as it connected with the mid section of the droid, smashing it in half. Her connection with the force was strengthening again, like an old friend returning after a long absence. It felt so good, made her feel more alive than she had in such a long time.

"That's it, last one for this round"

Kira looked rather stunned at Atton's words, looking around to see that the group of droids had been taken care of. She had been on automatic pilot combat mode. "Right. Lets keep moving then"

"Deet de reeet"

They rounded another corner, running into another of the mines that had been set to block their way. Kira tried to retrieve the mine but wasn't skilled enough to. She also wasn't sure she wanted to risk it going off while they were so close to it. Stepping back a safe distance, she put her arm up to make Atton back off as well, "Hold on a minute you two. I want to try something." When both had moved to a point behind her and at a safe distance from the mine, Kira made herself relax, flexing her hands as she concentrated on the mines in front of them.

Suddenly they exploded in a bright flash, Atton letting out a "What the...?" as he swung around to face her then back to where the mines had been.

"The Force Atton... The Force..." She answered him as they passed safely past the scorched flooring.

They reached the Hanger 25 Control Conduit, heading towards the next door. T3 squealed out another warning, telling them that they had more droids ahead. Luckily this time they had something more up their proverbial sleeves that they had scavenged off some of the other droids they had destroyed. Grenades. T3 moved into a position where he could fire through the door, just before Atton opened it and threw out a ion grenade. With the droids functions scrambled from the grenade, the three dispatched them quickly and efficiently. As they made their way along the upper corridor Atton looked out the view windows out over the Hanger Bay.

"There she is. All we need to do is get there."

_You don't say Atton._ Kira wanted to say, though didn't, "Yes. Easier said than done though. Look" She pointed towards the opposite corridor over from them. They had more droids to get through.

They had no more obstacles between there and the Hanger control room. Atton headed straight towards the Hanger Bay door, slamming his fists against the door when it wouldn't open.

"This door's magnetically sealed! I can't believe this! The ship's right out there and we can't get to it!"

"Beee-reeeet! Deeet!"

"What? The console?" Kira asked T3, stepping closer to the droid.

Atton looked between the two, "Huh? What is that piece of junk saying?"

Kira gave him a quelling look. She trusted T3 after all. "He said he can open the door to the hanger, he just needs to access the hanger terminal up on the platform"

"How can you even understand that noise?" Atton asked as T3 made his way up to the terminal and set to work on it.

Pausing for a long moment as she observed T3, Kira shifted her gaze back towards the cocky young man. "i served with alot of utility droids in the... well, many years ago."

"All right, well, if he can slice open the door from the terminal above, don't let me stop him." Atton stepped back to the door where he kept his vigil, moving like a caged animal pacing it's length.

With a whistle and a warning, T3 started rolling back down the ramp towards them at the same instant the door opened. The warning was because of the mining droids closing in on them. They opened fire, Atton throwing another grenade at them and diving back past the open door to some cover. T3 fired his miners pistol through the doorway, Kira following up the grenades explosion by attacking firstly with the Force, stunning the droid in front of her then striking it with her vibroblade. Atton followed her out, drawing his blade and slashing into the droids as well, the two working well as a team to destroy the remaining droids. They entered the Hanger, T3 heading straight for the ship while Atton and Kira searched for anything they might be able to use later on.

Kira kept getting the sense that someone was watching her and hurried the exploration, soon running back to the Ebon Hawk's entry ramp, meeting Atton as she reached it. T3 followed them in, beeping that he was picking up enemies on his sensors. Taking a quick look out of the embarksion ramp, Kira and Atton both saw the sith soldiers coming in to view.

"Where did they come from? We need to get cracking. We need to hold them off long enough to get out of here and in to the asteroid field. Warm up the laser turrets."

The two went running into the interior of the ship, with T3 behind them. They closed the embarksion ramp, Atton warming up the ship ready to take off while Kira fired the laser turret, taking out the sith soldiers as she saw them.

"Looks like we've got company. Some of the soldiers got in before the ramp closed." Atton checked the readings on the boards showing life signs and the cameras.

"I'll take care of that, you get us out of here!"

Kira and T3 both headed back into the interior of the ship to do some 'housecleaning'. Kira called on the Force, feeling out where the enemy were. They had made it into the central living area of the ship. T3 used the mining laser he'd picked up while Kira dodged the in coming laser blasts from the sith as she advanced on them, her blade flashing like a silver streak. She gathered the Force, pushing one of the sith off balance while she brought her blade around to bare, slashing it into the Sith's armor. T3 fired at the other, eventually catching a weak spot in the armor and getting through. It took some time, but they disabled the three that had gotten that far, Kira and T3 checked the rest of the ship. Luckily, and surprisingly they didn't find any more. Still, they needed to get rid of them. Kira grabbed hold of the arms of one of them, pulling him to the airlock. T3 did the same. Between the two of them, they got all of the fallen sith soldiers to it, set to release them out once they had left the station.

Making their way back towards the cockpit, Kira was surprised when Kriea materialised beside her she hadn't consciously felt her arrival. The old woman was cradling her arm, but other than that gave no outward sign of it hurting her. In the conversation that followed, the decision was made to put as much distance between themselves and the Harbinger as possible. Kriea wanted to fire upon the asteroids to hopefully blow up the ship, though the risks there were great. Kira also didn't want to risk blowing up the Peragus station in case there were some survivors there that they hadn't come across. Atton managed to fly them out of the asteroid field ahead of the Harbinger, soon sending them into hyperspace on the only course available to them from the astrogation charts.

"Why are the sith looking for me?" Kira turned towards Kriea, wanting some answers as to what had just happened.

"Because you are the last of the Jedi. Once you are dead then they have won." Kriea's voice was steady as she spoke.

"But I was exiled from the Jedi Order." Bewilderment crossed Kira's face. Why would they be after her when she wasn't a Jedi any longer? Especially since she had lost her use of the Force until now.

"Exile or not - the Sith believe you to be a Jedi Knight, and that's all that matters."

"But... " Kira shook her head, "... the last of the Jedi? That can't be true?"

"The Jedi Civil War destroyed the Jedi. By the war's end, barely 100 Jedi remained. Many fell in battle... and many more were seduced by Revan's teachings."

"But those Jedi that survived - what happened to them?" _Man I've been out of the loop for a long time. How did I not know this was all going on?_

"Many Jedi blamed the teachings of the Jedi Masters for Revan's fall... and the Civil War that followed. The Jedi Academy on Dantooine is nothing more than a crater that echoes with the ghosts of dead Jedi, and the Jedi Temple on Coruscant lies empty. The waters in the Room of a Thousand Fountains have fallen still, in reverence to the fallen Jedi... and those now lost."

_There still has to be someone... surely..._ "If any survivors still live... we need to warn them"

"Perhaps, but they are Jedi no longer. If the Sith have not already slain them, then they will not help you, nor can you help them"

Kira fell silent for a while, watching the white streaks pass the front view screen. Each person was quiet, lost in their own thoughts. Kira brought her focus back to Kriea,

"Before, you said the Harbinger was on it's way to Telos."

"Yes... to aid in the recovery there. Many roads lead to Telos - including ours."

"Not that we have much of a choice, the Peragus astrogation charts being what they are." Atton interjected, turning in the pilots chair to look from Kira to Kreia and back again.

Kriea seemed to just ignore Atton, continuing to speak to Kira as if the rogue hadn't even spoken. "It is where we must go... and where the Harbinger was bound before our unfortunate encounter on Peragus."

"How did you know I was on board the Harbinger?" This time Kira's eyes narrowed as she watched the old woman. She had been so careful not to be brought any unwanted attention. Now she had more than she could handle.

"You were difficult to find, but... coincidence was on our side. When I learned that you were on the vessel, I knew the sith would not be far behind. When we intercepted the Harbinger, it was crippled, drifting in space. It was a simple matter to board the vessel and rescue you. Unknown to me, however, the sith were already on board. Just as we made the jump to hyperspace, they fired upon us, nearly destroying the Ebon Hawk."

"How come I don't remember any of this?" There was still a gap in her memory that the assassin droid hadn't filled in, besides, she wanted Kriea's theory on it.

"Whatever occurred on board the Harbinger had rendered you unconscious. Though your thoughts were faint, I was able to find you... sealed in one of the cargo holds."

"How did we get to Peragus?" That was another thing that puzzled her, specially if the Ebon Hawk had nearly been destroyed as she said.

"I do not know how the Ebon Hawk was able to make it to Pe-"

"Bee-deet! Beeee-woooop!" T3 interrupted her with his comment.

"Be silent! We're having a conversation here." Kriea stared down at the droid like he was an annoyance.

"Bereeedwooo beee-de-deet. Deet!"

"He said he repaired the ship and got us to Peragus." Kira gave T3 an encouraging smile. She felt the antagonism towards the little fellow from the other two and felt sorry for him.

"Repaired this ship, my eye. Next thing you know it's going to claim credit for saving our skins. If that little noise maker says it repaired the ship once, then it can prove it by doing it again. Go on, get!" Atton gave T3 a dirty look, his voice one of disbelief that the droid could be so helpful.

T3 mournfully answered with a "Dwoooooo" as he rolled out of the cockpit and into the depths of the ship.

"We got away from the Sith - now how do we stop them?" Kira turned her attention back towards Kriea.

"That... is not an easy question to answer. This threat is greater than you know... and I do not believe it is a battle that can be fought."

"So, what do you think we should do?"

"Look - enough of this "we" already" Atton interjected with a hard put on tone.

As if he hadn't spoken at all, Kriea continued, "We cannot hope to triumph against them alone. To stop them, you will need weapons, allies... and a teacher. In the end, I fear it will not be enough."

"What do you mean?" Kira wanted to see just how much Kriea would tell her.

"You fought in the Mandalorian Wars, and it cost you everything. Are you willing to sacrifice everything again?"

Sighing Kira answered, "Is there some place we could hide? Or run to?"

Still trying to be noticed, Atton looked back at Kira as he spoke, "That's the first smart thing I've heard since you two started talking."

Again he was ignored by Kriea. " For a time, yes, Telos may be such a place - all our paths seem to lead us there. Perhaps there, if you are willing, I can train you, help you to survive a while longer."

Thinking quickly, Kira thought aloud. "That will give us time to get allies on our side."

"You are not listening to me. This is not like any field of battle you have ever fought in. Think carefully on your choice. If you choose to fight, if you choose war, it is a path few turn from once the first steps are taken. It carries with it a terrible price. And in the end, you may find you have nothing left to sacrifice."

"I turned away from war once, I can do it again." Inwardly Kira scolded herself, even as she spoke, knowing she was saying the wrong thing.

"Pha, like so many Jedi, you hear, but you do not listen. You have much to learn. But we have spoken lone enough - and my wound pains me. If you have other questions, find me in the crew quarters... there we will speak more."

Kriea turned to go.

"Hey, don't let me stop your long, boring rants on my account. I was just getting sleepy-eyed." Atton couldn't help himself from saying.

"Also in private, we will be mercifully free from the opinions of imbeciles and fools." Kriea made her way quickly out of the cockpit, leaving a sense of not being happy about Atton at all.

The two remained where they were for a long moment, Kira perching herself on the arm of the co-pilots chair as she regarded Atton. There was something about him.

"Look, uh, not that I care of anything, but you might want to check on our passenger - especially with that hand of hers."

Giving a nod, Kira pushed herself back to her feet, "You're right, she may need help - can you handle things up here?"

"We're on autopilot until we hit Telos. Until then, a droid could fly this thing. Besides, I think our passenger could use your help."

Something in his voice drew her attention to him fully, "What makes you say that?"

"I think she was barely keeping it together - I'm surprised she's able to stand with all that pain rolling off her."

As Atton wasn't looking at her, Kira narrowed her eyes thoughtfully as she took in his appearance, "What are you talking about?"

"Are you blind? If I were her I'd be screaming like a stuck Mynock." Realising what he just said, Atton added, "Well, I mean a very strong, manly Mynock." He turned back towards her, "I think she's just too proud to show any weakness... especially in front of you."

"That's odd"

"Is it?" He met her eyes, "In case you hadn't noticed, she won't say two words to me, but she'll talk your ear off any chance she gets. What _you _think matters to her... a lot. She wants you to respect her." An embarrassed look crossed Atton's face and he turned away, "Besides, we haven't got much else to do until Telos."

"When did you get sensitive?" The words just slipped out unhindered as Kira kept watching Atton. He had surprised her, having felt he was all hard exterior. Who knew he had a sensitive side?

"Oh, don't give me that. All it takes is being around people long enough to read them. You should try it sometime."

Taking the hint that he wanted to be alone with his thoughts, Kira glanced back at him once more, offering a comment and then headed out to find Kreia. "I'll go check on her then.


End file.
